Compensation for a burn injury whilst in hospital
It is difficult enough recovering and recuperating from a stroke, but when there is a failure in your care and you end up injured whilst in hospital, then you need answers as to why your medical care was substandard.
This was exactly the case when we acted for a client recently who was unable to properly hold his head up and required assistance when eating and drinking following an ischaemic stroke, yet he was left unattended with a scalding drink which when spilled burnt his right arm and lower back.
Our client, a widower who is in his 70s, was an inpatient at the Royal Preston Hospital at the time of the incident. The stroke affected the movement on his right-hand side, and the grip on his right hand, but it had been also noted that his use of his left hand was poor.
The injury was caused when the claimant spilled his evening drink over his right arm and lower back whilst in the hospital bed.
Burn Injury Claims
His daughter was concerned when she visited her father the next day and asked for an investigation into the matter and it was noted that her father had two significant burns to his right arm and one to his lower back.
A follow up report showed a lack of duty of care by the hospital - it had been noted that our client needed assistance cutting up his food, however, no relevant assessment had been undertaken around his ability to control or consume fluids.
In light of the burns, he suffered whilst in hospital he needed further nursing care despite making a good recovery from the stroke.
It was noted that as well as failing to correctly assess our client, monitor him whilst consuming hot drinks making sure liquids were not too hot, the hospital trust also failed to provide an adequate plastic drinking beaker with two handles. It was further noted that the Trust’s Clinicians and nursing staff failed to respond quickly enough when the drink spilled and remove scalding clothing and bedding which was in contact with his skin.
Burns Injury Settlement
A claim was made against the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and a settlement of £4,000 was made.
Commenting on the case, Solicitor and Head of Medical Negligence, Jacqueline White said:
“This case involved an elderly gentleman who had suffered a serious and disabling stroke, he was frail, vulnerable and unable to tend to his personal needs. Sadly, the standard of care he received whilst in this vulnerable state fell well below an acceptable standard and he suffered painful burns and permanent scarring as a consequence”
Burns caused by medical negligence
There are many reasons why a person may suffer burns whilst in hospital as a result of medical negligence, they may be due to one of the following reasons:
- Scalding with hot liquids
- Faulty equipment and accidental burns
- Surgical burn errors
- Chemical burns
- Electrical burns
How can we help?
For legal advice on pursuing a medical negligence case or accident in hospitals contact our specialist medical negligence solicitors on 0161 785 3500 or email enquries@pearsonlegal.co.uk to discuss your case and funding options.
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